In late April, a container was filled with cases of FCB’s Rocky Mountain IPA and Red Banshee and sent on its way to Europe, where it will land in early June. The beer will hit shelves in mid June, and Swedish beer lovers will have the opportunity to taste this Colorado craft brew.

“Exporting was not part of our strategic vision,” says FCB’s marketing director, Charles Stanley, “ but we were approached by Galatea Distributing’s US liaison, who made us aware of the growing demand for US craft beer in Sweden.”

Despite this demand, FCB was cautious, and it took its time with the decision.

“This is entirely new ground for us,” says Doug Smith, FCB’s Operations Manager. “Freshness of the beer was a big concern, of course. The beer takes a long time to get to the shelves compared to distributing in the US, but after talking through the details with Galatea, we were convinced that transit time would be kept to a minimum and our beer would be kept refrigerated every step of the way.”

If Rocky Mountain IPA and Red Banshee are well received, FCB and Galatea plan to put additional styles in the market.